If translated directly, the name of the Svalbard Archipelago means "Cold Coast," a polar natural archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean under Norwegian sovereignty.
The Svalbard Archipelago consists of the islands of Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya, Barentsøya, and others, situated within the Arctic Circle, between the Barents Sea and the Greenland Sea. Its capital, Longyearbyen, is located on the western coast of the main island.
The island is mountainous and has many fjords. Its cold climate, along with its stunning polar landscapes and diverse polar wildlife, draws many visitors. The island's name aptly reflects its environment.
The Svalbard Archipelago was first discovered by Norwegians in the 12th century, with the exact time being 1194 according to the Icelandic Annals. However, it wasn't until 1596 that the Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz named it Svalbard, meaning "Cold Coast."
Barentsz was one of the earliest Arctic explorers, and the Barents Sea was named in honor of his achievements.
In 1611, whaling ships from the Netherlands and England arrived here, followed by those from France, the Hanseatic League, Denmark, and Norway. These countries often clashed over whaling rights until they eventually divided the coastline to end the disputes.
Among non-Norwegians, the Russians arrived the latest, not coming until 1715, leaving them with fewer resources, forcing them to eke out a living on the island. This has contributed to the current population distribution.
After the decline of whaling in the 1800s, the archipelago shifted its focus to coal mining. However, it wasn't until the early 20th century that companies and individuals from the United States, Britain, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Russia began surveying coal deposits and claiming mining rights.
On February 9, 1920, the signing of the Svalbard Treaty granted Norway sovereignty over the entire archipelago. However, according to the treaty, citizens of all signatory countries have equal rights to engage in business on Svalbard. The archipelago also remains demilitarized, with Norway tasked with ensuring the safety of the island's residents and protecting its unique natural wilderness.
Interestingly, the Chinese government became a signatory to the Svalbard Treaty on July 1, 1925, and established the Huanghe Station for Arctic research in 2004.
In the past, mining and fishing were the island's most important economic pillars. However, over time, and with increasing environmental awareness, these industries have declined, and tourism has gradually become the island's new economic focus.
Today, approximately 50,000 tourists visit the island annually. The island has more than four hotels, including a modern Radisson Hotel, and offers a year-round post office and supermarket, meeting the needs of both residents and tourists even during the polar night.
Additionally, Longyearbyen, the capital of the archipelago, boasts an art gallery and a church, both of which are popular travel destinations. Various activities are often held here, bringing vitality to the small town.
Another significant attraction is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a high-level shelter built into a mountain within the Arctic Circle, just over 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole.
This facility, built by the Norwegian government on the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, is a repository for preserving seeds from crops around the world, supported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Located just over 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole, the "Seed Vault" is a natural refrigerator, maintaining seeds in a low-temperature environment ideal for long-term storage, unaffected by temperature fluctuations.
When constructing the "Seed Vault," scientists carefully considered all potential worst-case scenarios that could occur now and in the future and made corresponding preparations.
For example, the "Seed Vault" is situated about 130 meters above sea level, ensuring it won't be submerged even if Greenland's ice cap melts or Antarctica's ice sheets completely dissolve, causing significant sea level rise.
In addition, Norway has established three national parks, three nature reserves, three plant protection areas, and fifteen bird sanctuaries on the island, protecting nearly 60% of the archipelago's area.
On the island, 164 plant species, 4 mammal species, and over 160 bird species have been identified. Not far from town, one can often see polar bears, Arctic foxes, and reindeer leisurely strolling.
Due to its unique natural and cultural environment, the Svalbard Archipelago attracts many visitors, which also made it easier for Marie to reach the designated location to activate the spatial coordinates.
To be honest, when he first calculated the latitude, Liang En was a bit worried because this latitude has many military restricted zones in Russia, the United States, and Canada. If they acted within a restricted zone, it would be troublesome, but fortunately, that wasn't the case.
A week later, Marie completed her journey and marked the spatial coordinates of all important locations. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liang En also completed the construction of the space gate recorded on the mithril disk.
"Is this the thing that can allow travel between different worlds?" The three historical companions looked curiously at the roughly three-meter-tall metal door frame placed in the garage.
Although this metal door frame seemed filled with mystery, its design was modern and minimalist, quite unlike something created long ago.
Most notably, the frame showed no unusual light or sound reactions, looking just like an ordinary metal door frame, with only some strange patterns on it.
"In theory, it should be able to open a door," Liang En said with a somewhat helpless expression. "However, everything here must sense the weak points in space to function properly, so I haven't inserted the energy gems yet."
"After all, activating this door would consume energy gems as a pure resource, so I'm not likely to waste gems just for a demonstration."
"But I've fully understood the clues inside this space gate and can confirm that the next steps should go smoothly as long as the data provided for the location is accurate."
For Liang En, he now only wished for everything to go smoothly because, during the construction and analysis process, he found that the design diagram left behind quite a few pitfalls.
The most critical issue was that the coordinates on the other side of the space gate were fixed, which was clearly the final trap set by the person who left these blueprints, hoping to send the coordinates of this world back to their homeland.
The reason for this conclusion was simple: during the analysis of this formation, it was discovered that it wasn't a simple point-to-point transmission but rather a selection among multiple destinations, adding another layer of complexity.
Clearly, this wasn't to save extraordinary power or resources but to establish a one-way channel intended for transmitting information.
As for why the other party didn't simply design a clear directional gate, the reason was also straightforward—because the design of such a space gate is extremely complex, and not just anyone could accomplish it.
So, even though the person trapped here was indeed a spellcaster, they clearly hadn't mastered the core technology of this space gate, leading to a result where they could only rigidly complete their own design.
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